For X-rays to provide a clear view of the desired area, the patient and machine must be positioned correctly to avoid interference from other areas of the body. For example, during surgery in the neck region of a patient, X-rays are frequently taken during an operation to evaluate the status of the surgeon's work and the position of the bones. To get a proper view of the neck, the shoulders sometimes need to be pulled caudally (toward the feet) with the patient laying flat on an examination table. By applying a force on the shoulders toward the feet of the patient, an X-ray view taken transverse to the axis of the neck will not be subject to interference by the bones of the patient's shoulder.
To provide a proper X-ray view of the neck area, technicians presently use adhesive tape to tape the patient's shoulders directly to the examination table to maintain them caudally during the operation. However, this is clumsy at best; and the tape sometimes loosens. If that occurs, a surgeon will manually apply pressure to the shoulders to draw them caudally while the neck is exposed to X-rays. It can be appreciated that the surgeon or technician manually handling the patient's shoulders is exposed to the radiation of the X-ray machine. What is needed, therefore, is a system that will urge the patient's shoulders caudally while the patient is laying flat on the examination table without the inconvenience or disadvantages of the presently used tape method. This system should allow the surgeon or technician to leave the room during the X-raying procedure and also positively maintain the shoulders caudally to provide a proper view of the neck region.